Towards the end of his time training in the C-21 in St. Louis, John found himself with a relatively free weekend and became quite determined that I should drive down from Zion to visit. We’d already been apart for about a month and although the separation would only last a few more days before he’d have a few days of leave, it was hard to pass up the chance to see the city together.

All day, he texted reasons for me to drive down.

“You could be here in five hours.”

“We could hang out all weekend.”

“There’s a free symphony.”

“The weather is supposed to be perfect.”

My mom mentioned off-hand that she’d once flown from St. Louis to Chicago for an incredibly great price, possibly cheaper than the cost of gas. It sounded too good to be true- air fare these days can be ridiculous, especially last minute. But just for kicks, we checked and managed to find a few miraculously reasonable seats left on a flight that evening.

We bought the tickets, I packed a bag and left within 40 minutes for the airport. It was possibly the most spontaneous thing I’ve ever done. By 8:30 that evening, John and I were heading back to Scott Air Force Base and making plans for our time together.

Over the weekend, we enjoyed a few great meals out including a delicious “plate of swine” at the Schlafly Tap Room and a night of authentic Peruvian cuisine. The weather was just about perfect; a nice, sunny respite from a week of gloom and rain in the northernmost part of the state.

We walked around downtown and stopped to see the Gateway Arch, naturally. 

It’s so much bigger than I thought!

We enjoyed discounted military tickets to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the historical (stunning!) Fox Theater. We also nabbed free seats to the St. Louis Symphony performing Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, a portion of which I got to sing in high school. 

It was a short but sweet weekend together! We’re definitely looking forward to the end of this transitional time and the opportunity to live in the same place once again.